Clan Gunn tartan

clan tartans cannot claim great antiquity, 'District' tartans, those named after an area rather than a clan, have a much stronger chance of doing so. Certainly logic would support the idea of certain patterns selling better than others and thereby becoming common in the areas where they were produced. This would also go far towards the oft-quoted statement by Martin Martin, in his Description of the Western Islands of Scotland of c. 1695 that a man's residence was detectable by his plaid.

Page 296, Alastair Campbell of Airds Unicorn Pursuivant, A History of Clan Campbell; From Flodden to the Revolution, 2000, Polygon at Edinburgh, being an imprint of Edinburgh University Press.

Gunn tartans historically seem unlikely to have existed. Named tartans seem to have been created in the main around the 1820s - It was Scott who, to add “aboriginal” colour to George IV’s “jaunt” to Edinburgh in 1822, invented the cult of the clan tartan (“the ancient Highland costume”) – arguably one of his finer works of fiction. http://www.the-tls.co.uk/tls/public/article1039746.ece

A common source for the Gunn tartan is based on page 420 - the Appendix - of James Logan's The Scottish Gael originally published 1831 and later revised after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Scotland. His life and career are 'interesting' and can be found at http://www.tartansauthority.com/research/researchers/james-grant/

A Gunn 'Logan' tartan can be found here http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails.aspx?ref=1561. Another Gunn 'Logan' tartan can be found here http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails.aspx?ref=1560

Ignoring the issue of the unknown source for his named tartans his work did not meet with total approval -

When the illustrious Mr. James Logan, after having publicly and in the King's Court exposed the nakedness of his hairy houghs through the delicate folds of the kilt, and repeatedly boasted (native as he is of the Sassanach town of Aberdeen) of his Highland birth and long clannish pedigree, gave to the astonished world that ever memorable work, The History of the Scottish Gael, wherein he clearly demonstrated that the Highlanders were the most ancient, the most talented, the most learned, the most valiant, the most hardy, the most civilized and refined nation in all the wide world ; it came to pass that many people lifted up their voices and prophesied, saying, " The force of folly can no farther go !" " Mr Logan," cried they, " has reached a climax of absurdity beyond which, no writer on the Highlands and Highland clans can possibly soar. Herod may be out-Heroded, but never can Logan be out-Loganed !" These persons, much as they no doubt pride themselves on their sagacity and foresight, must excuse us for now flatly telling them that for all their pretensions, they have seen no farther into that millstone, Mr. Logan's Scottish Gael, than other people, and that, begging their pardon always, they are little better than false prophets and lying knaves. The force of folly has gone farther, a climax has been achieved of more ineffable absurdity than Mr. Logan ever attained to, and in despite of their vaticinations, Logan has been out-Loganed. The worthy gentleman who has done this feat, is Dr. James Browne, Ex-Editor of the Caledonian Mercury ... Page 590, The Aberdeen Magazine Vol. II, January - December 1832

I note - In 1842 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Scotland. The young couple fell in love with the country , and tartan, which had been simmering for 20 years since the visit of King George IV, bubbled up again. The brothers John and Charles Allen, calling themselves Sobieski Stuart published Vestiarium Scoticum, which introduced 75 new tartans to the delight of the trade.http://www.tartansauthority.com/research/researchers/james-grant/

It is worth noting that the Vestiarium Scoticum mentioned above by the tartan authority does not point out that the work is generally considered fiction.

D. C. Stewart would later go on to author, with J. C. Thompson, Scotland's Forged Tartans, published in 1980. This book is a critical examination of the Vestiarium Scoticum and the historical claims of the Stuart brothers. The undeniable conclusion of the authors is that the work is a hoax. This position is universally held by tartan scholars today. While some of the tartans illustrated in this reference can be shown to have been in use prior to the publication of the Vestiarium, the majority were likely invented new... Indeed, in many cases the Vestiarium gives tartans for clans and families which are no longer in use, including Forbes, Gunn, and Graham. http://resources.scottishtartans.org/vestiarium.html

and

Relph’s Vestiarium Scoticum is based on a book originally published in 1842 by brothers John Sobieski and Charles Edward Stuart. The Stuarts had wangled their way into Scottish society by claiming to be descendants of Bonnie Prince Charlie, then published the Vestiarium under the pretense that it was based on a document from 1721, which itself was based on an original manuscript dating back to the 16th century. The Vestiarium was presented as historical proof of the connections between tartans and family clans, a link that previously had no record. The Stuarts’ claims were later found to be completely false; the tartans in the book were in fact designed by the brothers themselves. Even still, their fabrications are to this day widely accepted as authentic by manufacturers and families alike....http://www.brooklynrail.org/2012/06/art_books/vestiarium-scoticum

As said, much of Scottish history is mythology and Gunn tartans are part of the mythology. Of course, the emotion now attached by some to the Gunn tartan is not the same as the historical invalidity of the said tartan; 'the tartan mania is not a disease which has grown less virulent over the years'. (p. 167, Michael Brander, The Making of the Highlands, 1980, Constable, London.)

Scottish Commonwealth Games tartan - 2006 - Gunn

I have no idea for how long the tartan was used. 'The information held within The Scottish Register of Tartans for the "Commonwealth Games" tartan is shown below.

... Designed for the livery of the Scottish Team for the Commonwealth Games and first used for the Games in Melbourne, Australia, 2006. The Commonwealth Games were the brainchild of Bobby Robinson and were first held in Canada in 1930. The name Robinson is associated with the Clan Gunn and therefore the Gunn tartan was used as the base for the new design. Colours: the mid blue colour with the white line through it closely represents the saltire and the bright purple colour was introduced as the colour of the thistle, which features on the Commonwealth Games Council logo.'

Registration textThe text has been created by the Keeper of the Register from information supplied by the applicant. This text is subject to Crown copyright. You may re-use the Crown copyright protected text free of charge in any format and for any purpose. The text must be acknowledged as Crown copyright and you must give the source as the Scottish Register of Tartans.

Registration imageThe image is rendered by the Keeper of the Register from the threadcount supplied by the registrant. The image is subject to Crown copyright. You may re-use the Crown copyright protected image free of charge in any format for fair dealing purposes. The image must be acknowledged as Crown copyright and you must give the source as the Scottish Register of Tartans.